Method of making base-balls.



P. H. PERRY.

METHOD OF MAKING BASE BALLS.

APBLIOATION FILED DBO.18, 1911.

Patented Dec. 24, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. H. PERRY. METHOD OF MAKING BASE BALLS. APPL'IOATION FILED D110. 18, 1911. 1,048,092, I Patented Dec. 24, 1912.

3 SHEBTS-SHEET 2.

F. H. PERRY.

METHOD OF MAKING BASE BALLS.

APPLICATION IILED DEO.18, 1911. 1,048,092, Patented Dec.24, 1912.

a sums-sum a.

- UivITED STATES PATENT I rnnnnnrcx n. PEBRYQOF BEVERLY, massacnnsnrrs.

'mn'rnon or MAKING {BASE-BALLS...

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that L'FREDERIOK H. PERRY,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of vof making baseballs.

Making Base-Balls; and I do hereby declare the following to be 'a'full, clear, and exact description of the invention,- such as will e11- able others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

vThe present invention relates to a m'et-hod In my system of making baseballs, the edges of the covers are sewed together by a sewing machine having a needle which enters beneath the butting edges of the covers a and acts to pass loops of thread through said edges to form a seam of stitches uniting the abutting edges of the covers. The preferred machine for sewing this scam is illustrated and described in my co-pending application,

'Serial No. 570,667,"filed July 6, 1910. To

properly prepare the baseballs for the operation of my sewing machine, it is necessary to form or shape the covers-to the shape of the ball center and to cement them to the ball center with the edges of the covers loosened from the ball center and trimmed so that the needle of the sewingmachine may pass under the edges and sew the trimmed edges together with a butting joint.

The object of the present invention is to -produce a method of making baseballs the box in which the cover isheated and applied to the ballcenter; Fig. 2 is a .view of theball after thecovers are applied; Fig. 3 is a front view of the roll illustrated as shaping the ball covers and uniting them to the ball center; Fig. 4 is across section taken along the line 4 1 of Fig. ,3; Fig. 5 is a view' of the, ball after the covers'are molded and cemented thereto; Fig; 6 is a side view of the I trimming machine illustrated as trimming the edges oflthecemented-covers; Fig. 7 is.

a front view of the trimming machine; Fig.

8 is a detail view of the plow of the trim-.

ming machine; and Fig.9 is a view taken partly insection showing the ball as ready for the operation of thesewing machine,

and also illustratingthe manner in which .the needle penetrates the covers and sews their edges together.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented D 24,1912. Application filed December 18, 1911. Serial No. 6 5,389.

- The covers which are to be applied to the i I ball center are two dumbbell-shaped pieces of covering material such as leather or cloth with a coating of guttapercha cement ap plied to their unfinished sides. In the better grade of balls, leather such-as horsehide is employed, while on cheaper balls sheep-skin and enameled cloth or imitation leather'are I employed. The cement with which thecovers are coated 'is the gutta percha: cement commonly employed in thearts. This. ;ce-'

mer t when heated becomes tacky :aind re.- mains in such tacky condition for some time.

after heating.

Referring to the drawings, a dumbbellshaped piece 2 of covering material is positioned by means of gages 4 in anv open ended box 6.' The floor 8 upon which the cover 2 is laid-is kept hot bymeans of asteam chest.

beneath the floor 8. Pipe connections 10 and '12 are shown which are adapted rto be connected to a steam supply and exhaust. 1

After the cover 2 is pos tlonedon the hot plate, a ball center 14, indicated by the dotdash .lines on Fig. 1, is placed in the closed of the box 6. The side walls 16 of the "box are'spaced apart a distanceequal to the diameter of the ball center and the end wall 18 is positioned relatively to the gages 4: so

that the ball center engages the center of the enlarged end or lobe of the dumbbell-shaped piece 2. The ball center 14 is rolled out of the open end of the box, the tacky cement causing the cover to be wound around the ball center. Then the second cover is placed in the box 6 and the ball again laced 1n and rolled out of the box to win the second cover about it. The ball center, with the covers thus applied to it, is shown in Fig. 2. The ball center 1 1, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, is a rubber-cored'yarn-wound ball center such as is usually used for baseballs.

After the covers 2 are applied to the ball center,

asillustrated in Fig. 2, the covers are formed to the she eof the ball and are'caused to adhere to the all center by of a series of wiping blows delivered against the covers by a laying roll 20. The roll 20 consists of a solid roll of metal having a curved face provided with a number of ribs 22. The radius of curvature of the face of the roll 20 is slightly greater than the radius of the ball and, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the roll curves around the ball so that when the ribs 22 beat against the ball they will contact with half an inch to an inch of the surface of the cover. The roll 20 is carried by a counter shaft 2% which runs at a comparatively high rate of speed so that when the ball is presented to the roll, the ribs 22 deliver a series of Wiping blows in rapid succession against the ball. The wiping blows exert a frictional dragon the cover which draws and smooths the cover in place.

In shaping the cover to the ball, the ball is presented to the roll and then turned so that the roll will deliver a series of blows running along the ball cover from the waist to the enlarged end to curl the cover around the ball. Since the transverse curvature of 25 the waist portion of the cover is not very great, the waist is easily shaped to the ball.

In shaping the enlarged end or lobe of the cover to the ball, the ball is turned against the roll so that the roll acts to deliver a se-. 'ries of wiping blows in the directions 1nd1-" cated by the arrows 26 in Fig. 5. The frictional drag of the wiping blows acts to stretch the material of the cover so that the center part of the lobe is stretched outto allow the lobe to curl around the ball. The

edge of the lobe at the ends of the arrows of Fig. 5 is stretched in the directions of the arrows and because'of the stretching in the direction of the arrows there is a tendency 40 for the material to contract at right angles to the stretching, and so fit the edge around the spherical surface of the ball. In this way the'wiping blows act to drag and pound the cover into the shape of the ball. The

blows not only act to wipe and pound the cover into theshape of the ball, but also act ,to beat the cover. against the ball center so that the layer of cement between the cover and ball center isbrought into intimate contact with the yarn of the ball center, and the cover is firmly held in the shape given it by the wiping blows of the laying roll.

In covering a yarn-wound ball center, the

beating of the cover against the ball center to cause it to more firmly adhere to the yarn winding, is of particular advantage, since the successive blows tend to compress the surface of the yarn winding and so 'more thoroughly force the cement coating of the cover into the mass of yarn, so that some of the more deeply lying yarn is attached to the cover. Moreover, since the surface of the yarn mass is beaten, it will be smoothed so that in the completed ball the lines of the 65 outer strands of yarn will not be as noticeable through the cover as with baseballs hitherto made. After the operator has worked down the edges of the covers and shaped and firmly united the cover pieces to the ball by means of the roll, the ball will present the appearance shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

To raise the edges of the covers and to trim off the surplus material so that a butting joint will be made, the ball is presented to the trimming machine illustrated in Figs.

6, 7 and 8. The trimming machine has a substantially V-shaped plow 30. 'The top of the plow 30 is substantially flat at the front, rising toward the back, where the plow is secured to the end of a post 32 projecting do\':n from the gooseneck 34 of the trimming machine. The front edge of the plow 30 is rounded so as not to cut into and catch on the yarn threads of the ball as it is run along beneath the edges of the covers. A reciproeating cutting knife 36 is arranged to out against the top of the plow 30 on the line 38 of Fig. 8. The knife 36 is mounted on the knife carrier 40 which is driven from the driving shaft 42 of the machine by means of a roll 44: carried on a crank of the driving shaft and engaging a slot in the head of the knife carrier 40. The knife 36 cuts against the flat toe of the plow 30 before 5 the raised portion of the plow has turned up the edges of the covers so that when the covers are'brought together by the stitches of theseam, abutting joint is formed. The raised heel of the plow 30, together with the shaft 32, so turn the covers outwardly that they are left witha permanent outward set, as shown in Fig. 9, so that the curved needle 50 of the sewing machine can easily penetrate beneath the loosened and raised edges of the ball cover to pass loops of thread therethrough.

As illustrated in Fig. 9, the needle 50 presses down on the edge of one cover and passes beneath and penetrates the edge of the other, cover to push a loop of thread upwardly through it to sew the edges together, as described in my application Serial No. 570,667.

While the method of the present invention has been described in connection with the use of a'sewing machine of the type illustrated in my application Serial No. 570,667, it is to be understood that the method of the present invention may be practised in mak=- 1-20 ing baseballs whether sewn by machine or by hand, and that the term baseball as used in the specification and claims is intended ent invention as defined in the claims. Varitially as described.

' inseam;

ations or changes may suggest themselves 10 against the cover pieces to shape them and i to .cause them to adhere to the ball center, and in sewing together. the edges of the cover pieces, substantiallyras'described. 1 l 2. The method f making base alls which consists in applying two dumb ell-shaped cement-coated cover pieces to a ball center, indelivering a series ofiwipingblows'against "the cover'pieces to shape'them and cause .them to adhere to-the ball center, and in sewing togetherthe edges of thecover pieces,

loosening the edges of the cover pieces from 3; Themethod of making baseballs which substantially as described.

' consists in heating {two dumbbell-shaped cement-coated cover pieces to renderthe-cc 5 ment tacky, 1n applyingthe cover pieces to the ball centerwhile "the cement is in tacky condition, in delivering agser-ies of wiping blows against the cover pieces to shape them and causethemto adhere to the ball center, and in sewing together the edges of the cover picces,substantially as described. I .4. The method ofmaking baseballs which consists, in .applying two dumbbell-shaped.

.. cover pieces to aball :center with a layer of cement between the cover pieces" and the ball 1 center, in delivering a series of wiping blows against theicover pieces to shape them and [cause them to adh'erejto the ball center, in trimming the edges oi? the cover pieces; and

40 in sewing together the trimmed edges of the cover pieces, substantially as described,

' 5; The method of making baseballs which] "consists 'in-apPlying two dumbbell-shaped f cover pieces to a ball center with ya layer of f 5 cement between the cover pieces and ball center, in delivering a series of wiping blows against the cover pieces to shape them and cause them to adhere. to the ball center, in loosening the edges of-the cover pieces from.

50. the ball centerin trimming theedges of the.

. sever pieces, and in sewing together the 1 trimmed edges of the cover pieces, substan- 6. The method of making baseballswhich consistsgin' applying twoidumbbell shaped 7. The method oflmaking baseballs which consists in applying two dumbbell-shaped coverpieces to a ball center with a layerof cement between the cover, pieces and the ball ball'center, in trimming the edges of the cover pieces and turning them outward fromthe ball center, and-in sewing together the trimmed edges of the cover pieces, substan- I tially as described.

8. Themethod ofimaking baseballs which consists in heating two dumbbell-shaped ce- I ment-coated cover pieces to render the cement tacky,-in applying the cover pieces to a ball center while the cement 1s 1n tacky condition, in deliveringa series of'wiping blows against the cover pieesto shape them and a cause them to adhere ten the ball center, in

the ball center, trimming the edges of the cover pieces and turning them outward from the ball. center and in sewing together the trimmed edges of thecover pieces, substantially as described;

9. The method of making baseballs which consists in applying pieces of covering material to a ball center with a layer of cement between the coverpieces'and ball center, in delivering a series of wiping blows against the cover pieces to. shape them and cause them to adhere to the ball center, and in sewin together the edges of the cover'pieces, substantially as described.

10. The method of making baseballs which consists in applying'pieces of covering material toaball center" with a layer of cement between the cover pieces and ball center, in

delivering a seriesof wiping blows against the-cover pieces to shape them and cause them'to adhere to the, ball center, in loosening the edges of-the cover pieces from the ball center, in trimming the edges of 'the' cover pieces, an in sewing together. the

tially as described.

' 11. The method of making baseballswhieh consists in applying pieces of cement-coated covering material-to a ball center, in delivstantially as described.

'12. The method ofmaking baseballs which consists in heating pieces of-cement-coated covering material to render the cement tacky, in applying the cower pieces to a ball center while the cement is in tacky condition, in delivering a series of wiping blows trimmed edges o the cover pleces, 'substana against the cover pieces to shape them and cause them to adhere to the ball center, and in sewing together. the edges of thecover pieces, substantially as described.

13. The method of making baseballs which consists in applying two cementcoated dumbbell shaped cover pieces to a yarnwound center, in drawing and smoothing the cover pieces snugly to the surface of the yarn-wound center and at the same time exerting a pressure upon the surface of the cover pieces to cause the cement to attachthe cover not only to the superficial yarn but also to some of the more deeply lying yarn, and in sewing together the edges of the cover pieces, substantially as described.

14. The method of making baseballs which consists in applying two cementcoated dumbbell-shaped cover pieces to a yarnwound center, in delivering wiping blows to the surface of the cover pieces applied in the direction of the edges of the cover pieces whereby the cover pieces are drawn snugly to the surface of the yarn-wound center, the center portion of the lobes of the cover pieces being stretched and the edges being contracted, and the cement is caused to attach not only the superficial yarn but also some of the more deeply lying yarn to the cover pieces, thereby making a smooth and uniformly surfaced ball, and in sewing together the edges of the cover pieces, substantially as described.

FREDERICK PERRY.

Witnesses ALICE AcKRoYD, GEORGE E. S'mBBms. 

